Psychosocial staff at a war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone conducted interviews with 147 witnesses after they completed their testimony. The interviewers asked participants to describe the most positive and most difficult aspects of their experience of testifying. Responses were recorded, coded, and examined using content analysis. Nearly all witnesses reported both empowering and difficult aspects, but the former outnumbered the latter. Witnesses mentioned 35 conceptually distinct positive aspects and 26 conceptually distinct negative aspects. The most frequently mentioned positive aspect was "being given the chance to tell my story, being able to talk about difficult/painful experiences, breaking silence." The second most frequently mentioned positive aspect was "being listened to, feeling believed/understood." The most frequently mentioned negative aspect was "emotional difficulty with some questions, talking about painful experiences." The second most frequent response was "nothing was difficult." Victim witnesses portrayed the experience more positively than nonvictims. For many witnesses, despite some challenging components, testifying provided a valued opportunity Editor's Note. Susan Opotow served as action editor for this article.

No abstract

Interviews were conducted with 147 witnesses (109 men, 38 women) after they had testified in the Special Court for Sierra Leone, a tribunal jointly established by the United Nations and the Sierra Leonean government to prosecute individuals accused of bearing the greatest responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s civil war. Participants were asked to describe changes, for better or worse, they had experienced since testifying. Responses were examined using content analysis. More than 4 of 5 witnesses described the consequences of testifying as primarily positive (vs. negative or neutral). Further, more than 3 times as many positive as negative consequences were mentioned. The benefit mentioned most often was a feeling of having unburdened oneself. About 1 in 5 witnesses reported that testifying had resulted in long-term reductions in sadness, anxiety, anger, and/or intrusive posttraumatic stress symptoms. A small minority of witnesses portrayed the psychosocial consequences of testifying as primarily negative. Also, approximately 1 in 5 respondents mentioned concerns about safety, and 1 in 10 reported deterioration in a social relationship. Victims mentioned different types of consequences, and a greater number of positive consequences, than nonvictim witnesses. In contrast to the view that testifying about atrocities is inherently retraumatizing, the vast majority of respondents did not report retraumatization from having testified. Further, most respondents reported that testifying had yielded important psychosocial rewards.

This paper reports the findings of an interview study of 144 victim-witnesses who testified in the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL). Witnesses expressed satisfaction with the preparation they received for testifying from their lawyers, particularly appreciating emotional support, as well as practical preparations. Victim-witnesses generally evaluated their interactions with all court staff positively, and reported feeling well-treated by the Court. The experience of cross-examination was difficult for a large proportion of witnesses in the current study, but an even larger group of witnesses reported the experience to be positive. For some witnesses, the experience of successfully coping with the challenge of cross-examination may be empowering. The feelings reportedly experienced by witnesses during their testimony are similarly mixed: a large proportion reported painful feelings, but others reported feeling confident, relieved and happy when they testified. The importance of continued post-testimony contact with witnesses is supported by the current study; witnesses expressed a strong desire for ongoing contact with the SCSL. According to witnesses' own evaluations, their security was not negatively affected by their involvement with the court. This indicates that the SCSL has been largely successful in its attempt to protect the identities of those who testify in its trials.

The research described in this article investigates the extent to which witnesses who testified in the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) report the experience as positive or negative. It also seeks to identify the factors that contribute to these evaluations. It reports the results of structured interviews conducted with 171 witnesses who testified in the SCSL. The finding that emerges most strongly is that the experience of testifying was positive for the majority of witnesses. The courtroom environment was experienced as supportive, and witnesses rated the experiences of both examination-in-chief and cross-examination as being more positive than negative, with examination-in-chief being the more positive of the two. The findings suggest that a positive testimony experience can be predicted when a witness does not feel worried at the prospect of testifying, feels respected by court staff and, to a lesser extent, has a positive experience of cross-examination.